Streak ends: state a poll no-show

For the first time since Dec. 6, 1982, no Sunshine State team was among the AP rankings on Sunday, marking the end of 472 straight polls where either Florida, Florida State or Miami — and usually all three — were on the list.

Most notable this week wasn’t who’s in the poll but who’s out.

“That shocks me that it’s been that long,” said AP poll voter Randy Rosetta of TigerSportsDigest.com, a Fox Sports site covering LSU, after learning the nearly 29-year streak of a Florida team appearing is over. “It doesn’t shock me that it’s happened now because you’ve got three programs that are in flux, all in the first or second year of new coaches after two highly successful guys left Florida and Florida State.”

Jimbo Fisher is in his second year coaching the Seminoles after replacing Bobby Bowden and Will Muschamp is in his first season taking over for Urban Meyer with the Gators. Al Golden is in his first season at Miami and, clearly, there’s some growing pains happening all over the place.

Adding to the ignominy of the weekend is this stat: Saturday was just the second instance since Oct. 14, 1978, that Florida, Florida State and Miami lost on the same day. It also happened Oct. 30, 2004.

The Seminoles, Gators and Hurricanes have three of the top five consecutive-appearance streaks in AP poll history. Florida State made the list 211 straight times from 1989 through 2001, Florida made 209 straight appearances from 1990 through 2002, and Miami’s best run was 162 in a row from 1985 through 1995.

Now? Nothing. Around the state, South Florida fell from the poll last week after losing to Pittsburgh and Miami has not been ranked since November.